Children’s Books by Black Writers: Our Growing Collection
With anti-racism and anti-bias movements spreading with significant momentum, it’s been a great time to share book recommendations and add a few more books to our ever growing collection. “A few more” is something like 5, but who’s counting – my husband, he’s counting! As parents we have a direct effect on the future of our world. Our children absorb their environment, and we can empower them to be advocates against prejudice and injustice. I participated in a Unity Hour webinar: Anti-Bias Education at Home hosted by The Mom Project. It was such an informative session that gave me actionable knowledge.
Today we celebrate Juneteenth and at the start of the week there was a charge to purchase at least two books by black writers. It’s important that we support black authors so we can see more of their work and have more representation. There are books featuring black characters not written by black authors, but this list is focused on supporting Black writers. I linked the books for ease of purchase (click on title or book). Please look-up these authors and consider buying more from their collection and from your local, independent bookstore. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
While I do have favorites and do not prefer a couple of these books due to my own parenting style or other personal reasons, I am listing all of our books by Black writers in no particular order:
Books currently on their way to us: I am a Pretty Little Black Girl and So You Want to Talk about Race. Both were recommendations from friends, and while the second one is not a children’s book, I am hoping to further educate myself about race and racism in the United States. If you need some additional support to more confidently traverse these tough topics with your child, consider finding community support. In these times our online community is easily accessible and up-to-date.
What books should we pick up next? We should already have Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History, but I really have to slow down on the book purchases!
